973.7L63  Johnson,  Edward  S. 

D2J62a 

1915  Abraham  Lincoln  and  His 

cop.  3  Last  Resting  Place 


LINCOLN  ROOM 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


presented  by 

Harry  E.  and  Marion  D.  Pratt 


ICmrnltt 


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1 

Abraham  Lincoln 

and  His  Last  Resting  Place 

A  Leaflet  Published  for 
Distribution  at  the  National 
Lincoln  Monument  in  the 
City  of  Springfield,  Illinois 


Compiled  by  EDWARD  S. 
JOHNSON,  Custodian 


BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS: 

HON.  EDWARD  F.  DUNNE,  :  :  Governor 
HON.  FRANCIS  G.  BLAIR,  Supt.  Pub.  Instruction 
HON.  ANDREW  RUSSELL,  :        :     Treasurer 


T 


HE  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  has  been  written 
by  many  men  in  many  tongues.  The  resources 
of  rhetoric  and  eloquence  have  been  exhausted 
in  their  portrayal  of  this  character  that  however  viewed 
holds  a  lesson  for  all  mankind.  In  this  brief  space  and 
for  the  purpose  which  this  leaflet  is  designed  to  serve, 
the  simple  homely  details  of  the  martyred  President's 
early  life  could  not  be  better  told  than  in  his  own 
words.  No  polished  recital  could  be  so  prized  by  the 
great  multitude  who  hold  his  memory  dear  as  this 
transcript  of  a  letter  written  in  1859  to  his  friend  the 
Hon.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  of  Bloomington,  Illinois: 


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A  B   R   A   H  rA  m 

L  I  N  C 

0   L  N 

and    his    last    resting    place 

7 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  little  thought  as  he  penned  the  words, 
"What  I  have  done  since  then  is  pretty  well  known,"  that  a 
world  would  one  day  listen  enthralled  to  the  tale  of  what  he  had 
done  and  should  do  in  the  decade  from  1855  to  1865. 

In  1854,  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  of  1820  opened  a 
new  political  era,  and  an  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  was  begun 
which  was  destined  to  grow  until  the  shackles  were  struck  forever 
from  the  hands  of  the  slave. 

By  this  repeal  slavery  claimed  protection  everywhere ;  it  sought  to 
nationalize  itself.  At  this  time  the  question  of  "popular  sovereignty" 
arose,  the  right  of  the  people  of  a  territory  to  choose  their  own  institu- 
tions, and  upon  this  question  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Douglas  fought  the 
"battle  of  the  giants,"  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  signal  ability  as  an  orator  was 
forever  established.  He  became  at  once  the  leader  of  his  party  in  the 
West  and  the  foremost  champion  of  the  liberties  of  the  oppressed. 

In  a  private  letter,  written  at  this  time,  Mr.  Lincoln  defines  his 
position  on  the  great  question  of  the  day  as  follows: 

I  acknowledge  your  rights  and  my  obligations  under  the  Constitution 
in  regard  to  your  slaves.  I  confess  I  hate  to  see  the  poor  creatures  hunted 
down  and  caught  and  carried  back  to  their  stripes  and  unrequited  toil,  but 
I  keep  quiet.  You  ought  to  appreciate  how  much  the  great  body  of  the 
people  of  the  North  crucify  their  feelings  in  order  to  maintain  their  loyalty 
to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union.  I  do  oppose  the  extension  of  slavery 
because  my  judgment  and  feelings  so  prompt  me,  and  I  am  under  no  obli- 
gations to  the  contrary.  As  a  nation  we  began  by  declaring  "all  men  are 
created  equal."  We  now  practically  read  it,  "all  men  are  created  equal 
except  negroes."  When  it  comes  to  making  wholesale  exceptions  I  should 
prefer  emigrating  to  some  country  where  they  make  no  pretense  of  loving 
liberty,  where  despotism  can  be  taken  pure  without  the  base  alloy  of 
hypocrisy.  Your  friend,  A.  Lincoln 

May  29,  1856,  the  Republican  party  of  Illinois  was  organized,  and 
he  was  now  the  leader  of  a  party  whose  avowed  purpose  it  was  to  resist 
the  extension  of  slavery.  At  the  national  convention  his  name  was 
presented  as  a  candidate  for  vice  president.  He  did  not  receive  the 
required  number  of  votes,  but  the  action  was  complimentary  and  served 
as  Mr.  Lincoln's  formal  introduction  to  the  nation. 

The  senatorial  campaign  of  1858  in  Illinois  was  memorable  for  the 
questions  involved  and  for  the  debates  between  Douglas  and  Lincoln 
upon  the  great  issues  that  were  even  then  distracting  the  nation.  When 
these  two  met  in  intellectual  combat  the  nation  paused  to  listen.  "The 
eyes  of  all  the  Eastern  states  were  turned  to  the  West  where  young 
republicanism  and  old  democracy  were  establishing  the  dividing  lines 
and  preparing  for  the  great  struggle  soon  to  begin." 

To  say  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  victor  in  the  contest  morally  and 
intellectually  is  simply  to  record  the  judgment  of  the  world. 

His  speeches  were  clear,  logical,  powerful  and  exhaustive.  On 
these  his  reputation  as  an  orator  and  debater  rests.  They  defined  the 
difference  between  the  power  of  slavery  and  the  policy  of  freedom 
which  ended,  after  expenditures  of  uncounted  treasure  and  unmeasured 
blood,  in  the  final  overthrow  of  the  institution  of  slavery. 


ABRAHAM 

LINCOLN 

8 

aild     HIS     LAST     RESTING     PLACE 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  defeated  in  this  campaign  and  Mr.  Douglas  was 
returned  to  the  Senate,  hut  Mr.  Lincoln  was  now  thoroughly  committed 
to  politics.  In  1859  and  i860  he  journeyed  in  the  Eastern  states,  mak- 
ing speeches  that  thrilled  and  electrified  the  audiences  which  he  had 
expected  to  find  cold  and  critical. 

The  mutterings  of  secession  already  filled  the  land.  The  spirit  of 
unrest  and  rebellion  was  gaining  ground ;  but  wherever  the  voice  of 
Lincoln  was  heard  it  was  pleading  for  union,  for  peace,  for  the  Consti- 
tution, deprecating  the  evils  of  slavery  as  it  existed,  and  protesting 
against  its  extension  into  the  free  states  and  territories. 

His  was  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  warning  the  men 
of  the  North  and  the  South  that  a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot 
stand.  On  the  18th  of  May,  1860,  Mr.  Lincoln  received  the  nom- 
ination of  the  republican  convention  held  at  Chicago  for  President  of 
the  United  States.  How  this  plain,  comparatively  unknown  Illinois 
lawyer  was  chosen  in  this  critical  hour  before  a  man  like  Seward,  with 
his  wide  experience  and  acquaintance,  his  large  influence  and  surpass- 
ing ability,  his  name  and  fame  of  thirty  years  standing,  must  be 
regarded  as  the  guiding  of  that  Providence  that  had  brooded  over 
the  life  of  the  republic  since  it  declared  itself  to  be  the  home  of  the 
free,  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed.  On  the  6th  of  November  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  elected,  by  a  handsome  plurality,  President  of  the  United 
States. 

At  eight  o'clock  Monday  morning,  February  11,  1861,  Mr.  Lincoln 
left  Springfield  for  the  National  Capitol  to  enter  upon  his  duties  as 
President.  With  these  simple  words  he  took  leave  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors : 

My  friends:  No  one  not  in  my  position  can  appreciate  the  sadness  I 
feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  that  I  am.  Here  I  have  lived 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century;  here  my  children  were  born,  and  here  one 
of  them  lies  buried.  I  know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see  you  again.  A  duty 
devolves  upon  me  which  is  perhaps  greater  than  that  which  has  devolved 
upon  any  other  man  since  the  days  of  Washington.  He  never  would  have 
succeeded  except  by  the  aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon  which  he  at  all 
times  relied.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  succeed  without  the  same  Divine  aid 
which  sustained  him,  and  on  the  same  Almighty  Being  I  place  my  reliance 
for  support,  and  I  hope  you,  my  friends,  will  all  pray  that  I  may  receive  that 
Divine  assistance  without  which  I  cannot  succeed,  but  with  which  success 
is  certain.    Again  I  bid  you  an  affectionate  farewell. 

These  proved  to  be  his  last  words  to  Springfield  auditors. 

The  result  of  his  election  pleased  and  united  the  North  while  it 
angered  the  South.  To  the  more  thoughtful  men  of  both  parties  a  crisis 
seemed  imminent.  The  Southern  states  immediately  seceded ;  the 
Southern  Confederacy  was  formed  with  Jefferson  Davis  as  President ; 
forts  and  arsenals  were  seized  and  the  war  of  the  rebellion  fairly  inaugu- 
rated. It  was  this  disrupted  union,  this  all  but  shattered  government, 
which  waited  for  the  man  who  upon  the  fourth  day  of  March,  1861, 
took  the  oath  of  office  and  became  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  closing  words  of  his  memorable  inaugural  address  must  have 
convinced  his  listeners  of  the  wisdom,  the  strength,  the  gentleness  of 
this  new  incumbent  of  the  chair  of  State : 


A  B   R   A  "H    A   M      LINCOLN 


and    his    last    resting    place 


LINCOLN  MONUMENT 


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and    his    last    resting    place 

In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow  countrymen,  and  not  in  mine,  is 
the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  government  will  not  assail  you. 
You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  You 
have  no  oath  registered  in  Heaven  to  destroy  the  government,  while  I  shall 
have  the  most  solemn  one  to  preserve,  protect  and  defend  it.  I  am  loath 
to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  The  mystic  cords  of  memory, 
stretching  from  every  battlefield  and  patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart 
and  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad  land  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the 
Union  when  again  touched,  as  they  surely  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of 
our  nature. 

With  infinite  patience  and  unequaled  forbearance  and  sagacity, 
Mr.  Lincoln  strove  to  avert  war,  but  when,  on  April  12,  1861,  the  rebel 
batteries  were  opened  upon  Fort  Sumter,  forbearance  was  no  longer 
possible,  and,  on  the  15th  day  of  April,  the  pen  that  had  only  been 
used  to  counsel  moderation,  to  urge  loyalty,  penned  a  proclamation 
calling  for  seventy-five  thousand  men,  and  the  Civil  War  was  begun. 


PUBLIC  VAULT  AT  OAK  RIDGE 

The  remains  of  President  Lincoln  and  his  son,  Willie,  who  died  in 
Washington,  were  placed  in  this  vault  May  4,  1865. 

The  popular  government  had  been  called  an  experiment.  Two  points 
of  the  experiment  had  already  been  settled :  The  government  had  been 
established  and  it  had  been  administered.  One  point  remained  to  be 
established :  Its  successful  maintenance  against  a  formidable  internal 
attempt  to  overthrow  it.  Congress  ably  supported  Mr.  Lincoln.  It 
placed  at  his  disposal  five  hundred  million  dollars  and  gave  him  liberty 
to  call  out  half  a  million  men.  During  all  the  years  of  that  long,  sad 
war  there  were  loyal  hearts  among  his  admirers  that  held  up  the  hands 
of  their  President,  but  the  crowning  personality,  the  strong,  pervading, 
directing,  controlling  spirit  was  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  whether 
watching  the  progress  of  events  from  his  almost  beleaguered  capital  or 
while  visiting  and  mingling  with  his  army  at  the  front, 


ABRAHAM      LINCOLN 


and    his    last    resting    place 


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Never  for  a  moment  did  he  lay  aside  his  personal  responsibility. 
Never  did  he  swerve  from  his  resolve,  expressed  in  the  words  of  his 
memorable  speech  at  the  dedication  of  the  soldiers'  graves  at  Gettys- 
burg : 

We  have  come  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  this  field  as  a  final  resting  place 
for  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  the  nation  might  live.  But,  in  a 
larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  cannot  consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow 
this  ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here  have 
consecrated  it  far  beyond  our  power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world  will  little 
note  nor  long  remember  what  we  say  here,  but  it  can  never  forget  what 
they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  be  dedicated  here  to  the 
unfinished  work  which  they  who  fought  here  have  so  nobly  advanced.  It  is 
rather  for  us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us, 
that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to  that  cause  for 
which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devotion,  that  we  here  highly 
resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain;  that  this  nation,  under 
God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom ;  and  that  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth. 

The  story  of  the  war  and  the  life  of  Lincoln  are  inseparable.  The 
recital  of  all  those  years  of  marching,  camping,  fighting;  of  wounds, 
privations,  victory,  defeat  and  death,  cannot  be  made  without  the  story 
of  Lincoln  interwoven  into  its  warp  and  woof.  In  intimate  connection 
with  his  life  as  President,  many  beautiful  letters  remain,  written  during 
this  period  of  storm  and  stress,  and  they  attest  to  his  quick  and  unfail- 
ing sympathy  with  those  in  trouble.  Such  is  the  line  written  in  haste 
carrying  pardon  to  the  worn-out  lad  sentenced  to  be  shot  for  sleeping  at 
his  post. 

The  letter  sent  to  the  gentle  Quaker,  Eliza  P.  Gurney,  who,  on 
behalf  of  her  people,  the  Friends,  protested  against  what  seemed  to 
them  the  great  sin  of  war.    To  her  he  writes : 

Surely,  He  intends  some  great  good  to  follow  this  mighty  convulsion, 
which  no  mortal  could  make,  and  no  mortal  could  stay.  Your  people,  the 
Friends,  have  had,  and  are  having,  a  very  great  trial.  On  principle  and  faith, 
opposed  to  both  war  and  oppression,  they  can  only  practically  oppose 
oppression  by  war.  In  this  hard  dilemma,  some  have  chosen  one  horn  and 
some  the  other.  For  those  appealing  to  me  on  conscientious  grounds,  I  have 
done,  and  shall  do,  the  best  I  could  and  can,  in  my  own  conscience,  under 
my  oath  to  the  law.  That  you  believe  this  I  doubt  not;  and  believing  it,  I 
shall  still  receive,  for  our  country  and  myself,  your  earnest  prayers  to  our 
Father  in  Heaven. 

Only  a  few  months  before  his  death  he  heard  the  pathetic  story  of 
Mrs.  Bixby  of  Boston,  Mass.,  who  had  given  up  five  sons  who  had  died 
in  their  country's  service.  Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  her  this  beautiful  letter 
of  condolence  which  is  said  to  rank  next  to  his  Gettysburg  address  in 
depth  of  feeling,  beauty,  and  simplicity  of  diction : 

Executive  Mansion, 
Washington,  November  21,  1864. 
To  Mns.  Bixby,  Boston,  Mass.: 

I  have  been  shown  in  the  file  of  the  War  Department  a  statement  to  the 
Adjutant  General  of  Massachusetts  that  you  are  the  mother  of  five  sons  who 
have  died  gloriously  on  the  field  of  battle.  I  feel  how  weak  and  fruitless 
must  be  any  word  of  mine  which  should  attempt  to  beguile  you  from  the 


A   B 

R 

A 

H 

A 

M 

LINCOLN 

18 

and    his    last    resting    place 

grief  of  a  loss  so  overwhelming.  But  I  cannot  refrain  from  tendering  you 
the  consolation  that  may  be  found  in  the  thanks  of  the  Republic  they  died  to 
save.  I  pray  that  our  Heavenly  Father  may  assuage  the  anguish  of  your 
bereavement  and  leave  only  the  cherished  memory  of  the  loved  and  lost  and 
the  solemn  pride  that  must  be  yours  to  have  laid  so  costly  a  sacrifice  upon  the 
altar  of  freedom. 

Yours  very  sincerely  and  respectfully, 

A.  Lincoln 

The  days  fraught  with  the  grave  issues  of  the  war  went  by,  victory 
alternating  with  defeat  until,  in  the  judgment  of  the  commander-in- 
chief,  the  time  had  come  to  emancipate  the  colored  race. 

Early  in  August  of  1862,  President  Lincoln  called  a  meeting  of  his 
Cabinet  and  submitted  for  their  consideration  the  original  draft  of  his 
Emancipation  Proclamation.  On  the  first  day  of  January,  1863,  Mr. 
Lincoln  issued  the  final  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  bringing  free- 
dom to  four  million  slaves  and  removing  forever  from  the  land  he 
loved  the  blot  of  slavery. 

It  seemed  fitting  that  to  this  man  who  had  blazed  the  way  through 
the  wilderness  for  this  cause,  who  had  brooded  and  smarted  under  the 
sense  of  the  sin  of  slavery  from  his  early  untaught  youth,  who  in 
clarion  tones,  had  declared,  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  that  he  "would 
speak  for  freedom  against  slavery  until  everywhere  in  all  this  broad 
land  the  sun  shall  shine,  the  rain  shall  fall  and  the  wind  shall  blow  upon 
no  man  who  goes  forth  to  unrequited  toil."  It  was  meet  that  from  his 
lips  should  fall  the  words  that  made  four  million  men  free,  and  it  is  in 
consonance  with  the  character  of  the  great  Emancipator  that  in  this 
supreme  moment  of  his  life  he  reverently  invoked  upon  the  act  "the 
considerate  judgment  of  mankind  and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty 
God." 

The  latter  part  of  the  year  1863  was  marked  by  the  success  of  the 
Union  armies.  The  Republican  National  Convention  assembled  in 
Baltimore,  June  8,  1864,' unanimously  nominating  Mr.  Lincoln  as  their 
candidate  for  President.  His  word's  accepting  this  nomination  were 
characteristic : 

Having  served  four  years  in  the  depths  of  a  great  and  yet  unended 
national  peril,  I  can  view  this  call  to  a  second  term  in  no  wise  more  flatter- 
ing to  myself  than  as  an  expression  of  the  public  judgment  that  I  may  better 
finish  a  difficult  work  than  could  any  one  less  severely  schooled  to  the  task. 
In  this  view,  and  with  assured  reliance  on  that  Almighty  Ruler  who  has  so 
graciously  sustained  -us  thus  far,  and  with  increased  gratitude  to  the  gen- 
erous people  for  their  continued  confidence,  I  accept  the  renewed  trust  with 
its   yet  onerous   and   perplexing   duties   and   responsibilities. 

During  the  height  of  the  canvass.  President  Lincoln  issued  a  call 
for  five  hundred  thousand  men:  also  making  provisions  for  a  draft  if 
necessary.  His  friends  feared  that  this  measure  might  cost  him  his 
election,  but  he  waived  that  aside  as  he  always  did  personal  considera- 
tion that  might  conflict  with  duty. 

November  came,  and  with  it  Mr.  Lincoln's  reelection.  His  second 
election  proved  the  death  blow  to  the  rebellion.  From  that  time  the 
Southern  armies  never  gained  a  substantial  victory.  When  the  Thirty- 
eighth  Congress  assembled  December  6,  1861,  President  Lincoln  recom- 


ABRAHAM     LINCOLN 

and    his    last    resting    place  19 


mended  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  making  human  slavery  for- 
ever impossible  in  the  United  States. 

The  joint  resolution  for  the  extinction  of  slavery  passed  Congress 
and  received  the  signature  of  the  President  January  31,  1865.  The 
legislature  in  Illinois,  being  then  in  session,  took  up  the  question  at 
once  and  in  less  than  twenty- four  hours  after  its  passage  by  Congress 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving  a  telegram  from  his  old 
home  announcing  the  fact  that  the  constitutional  amendment  had  been 
ratified  by  both  nouses  of  the  legislature  of  his  own  state  February  1, 
1865.  The  action  of  the  legislatures  of  other  states  soon  followed,  and 
thus  was  completed  and  confirmed  the  work  of  the  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation. 

Upon  the  4th  of  March,  1865,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  for  the  second  time 
inaugurated  President  of  the  United  States.  His  inaugural  address 
upon  that  occasion  has  become  a  classic.  Its  closing  words  have  been 
quoted  wherever  the  foot  of  an  American  has  strayed  beneath  the  sun : 

Fondly  do  we  hope,  reverently  do  we  pray  that  this  mighty  scourge 
of  war  may  speedily  pass  away,  yet,  if  God  wills  that  it  continue  until  all 
the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondsman's  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  unrequited 
toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until  every  drop  of  blood  drawn  by  the  lash  shall  be 
paid  by  another  drawn  by  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago, 
so  still  it  must  be  said,  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous 
altogether.  With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in 
the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  to  finish  the  work  we 
are  in,  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds,  to  care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne 
the  battle,  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just  and  lasting  peace 
among  ourselves  and  with  all  nations. 

The  closing  scenes  of  the  war  were  being  enacted  in  quick  succes- 
sion. Richmond  had  fallen,  and  on  the  4th  day  of  April,  just  one 
month  after  his  second  inauguration,  President  Lincoln,  leading  his 
little  son  by  the  hand,  entered  the  vanquished  city  on  foot.  Never  has 
the  world  seen  a  more  modest  conqueror,  a  more  characteristic  tri- 
umphal procession.  No  army  with  banners  and  drums,  only  a  few  of 
those  who  have  been  slaves  escorting  the  victorious  chief  with  bene- 
dictions and  tears  into  the  capital  of  the  fallen  foe. 

A  few  more  days  brought  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army  and  peace 
was  assured.  Everywhere  festive  guns  were  booming,  bells  pealing, 
churches  ringing  with  thanksgiving. 

The  14th  of  April  was  the  anniversary  of  the  fall  of  Sumter. 
President  Lincoln  had  ordered  that  day  to  be  signalized  by  restoring 
the  old  flag  to  its  place  on  the  shattered  ramparts  of  Fort  Sumter.  He 
ordered  the  same  faithful  hands  that  pulled  it  down  to  raise  it — every 
battery  that  fired  upon  it  should  salute  it.  Said  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  upon  that  occasion :  "From  this  pulpit  of  broken  stone  we  send 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States  our  solemn  congratulations  that 
God  has  sustained  his  life  and  health  under  the  unparalleled  hardships 
and  suffering  of  four  bloody  years  and  permitted  him  to  behold  this 
auspicious  consummation  of  that  national  unity  for  which  he  has 
labored  with  such  disinterested  wisdom." 

But,  before  the  kindly  words  had  flashed  over  the  telegraph  wires 
to  the  ears  of  the  patient  man  in  whose  honor  they  were  spoken,  the 


ABRAHAM     LINCOLN 

20  and    his    last    resting    place 


bullet  of  the  assassin  had  done  its  work.  The  sad  words,  "I  feel  a 
presentiment  that  I  shall  not  outlast  the  rebellion ;  when  it  is  over  my 
work  will  be  done,"  were  verified,  and  all  civilized  mankind  stood 
mourning  around  the  bier  of  the  dead  President.  Then  began  that 
unparalleled  funeral  procession,  a  mournful  pageant,  passing  country 
and  village  and  city,  winding  along  the  territories  of  vast  states,  along 
a  track  of  fifteen  hundred  miles,  carrying  the  revered  dead  back  to  his 
own  people,  to  the  scenes  of  his  early  life,  back  to  the  prairies  of  Illi- 
nois.    Said  Beecher  in  his  eloquent  and  touching  funeral  oration : 

Four  years  ago,  Oh,  Illinois!  we  took  from  your  midst  an  untried  man 
from  among  the  people.  Behold!  we  return  to  you  a  mighty  conqueror,  not 
ours  any  more,  but  the  nation's.  Not  ours  but  the  world's.  Give  him  place, 
Oh,  ye  prairies!  In  the  midst  of  this  great  continent  his  dust  shall  rest,  a 
sacred  treasure  to  the  myriads  who  shall  come  as  pilgrims  to  that  shrine  to 
kindle  anew  their  zeal  and  patriotism.  Humble  child  of  the  backwoods, 
boatman,  hired  laborer,  clerk,  surveyor,  captain,  legislator,  lawyer,  debater, 
politician,  orator,  statesman,  president  savior  of  the  republic,  true  Christian, 
true  man.  We  receive  thy  life  and  its  immeasurably  great  results  as  the 
choicest  gifts  that  have  ever  been  bestowed  upon  us;  grateful  to  thee  for 
thy  truth  to  thyself,  to  us  and  to  God;  and  grateful  to  that  ministry  of 
Providence  which  endowed  thee  so  richly  and  bestowed  thee  upon  the  nation 
and  mankind. 

THE  MONUMENT. 

The  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  deposited  in  the  receiving  vault 

at  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery  May  1,  1865. 

Upon  the  11th  of   May,   1865,  the  National  Lincoln   Monument 

Association  was  formed,  its  object  being  to  construct  a  monument  to 

the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  City  of  Springfield,  Illinois. 
The  names  of  the  gentlemen  comprising  the  Lincoln  Monument 

Association  in  1865  (now  deceased)  were  as  follows: 

Gov.  Richard  Oglesby,  Sharon  Tyndale, 

Orlin  H.  Miner,  Thomas  J.  Dennis, 

John  T.  Stuart,  Newton  Bateman, 

Jesse  K.  DuBois,  S.  H.  Treat, 

James  C.  Conkling,  O.  M.  Hatch, 

John  Williams,  S.  H.  Melvin, 

Jacob  Bunn,  James  H.  Beveridge, 

David  L.  Phillips. 

The  temporary  vault  was  built  and  the  body  of  President  Lincoln 
removed  from  the  receiving  vault  of  the  cemetery  on  December  21, 
1865.  The  body  was  placed  in  the  crypt  of  the  monument  September 
19,  1871,  and  was  placed  in  the  sarcophagus  in  the  center  of  the  cata- 
comb October  9,  1874. 

Owing  to  the  instability  of  the  earth  under  its  foundation  and  its 
unequal  settling  the  structure  had  begun  to  show  signs  of  disintegration, 
necessitating  taking  it  down  and  rebuilding  it  from  the  foundation. 
The  work  was  begun  by  Col.  J.  S.  Culver  in  November,  1899,  and  fin- 
ished June  1,  1901.  A  cemented  vault  was  made  beneath  the  floor  of 
the  catacomb  directly  underneath  the  sarcophagus  and  in  this  vault  the 
body  of  President  Lincoln  was  placed  September  26,  1901,  where  it 
will  probably  remain  undisturbed  forever. 


ABRAHAM    ^LINCOLN 

and    his    last    resting    place  21 


The  monument  is  built  of  brick  and  Quincy  granite,  the  latter 
material  only  appearing  in  view.  It  consists  of  a  square  base  72^ 
feet  on  each  side  and  15  feet,  10  inches  high.  At  the  north  side  of 
the  base  is  a  semi-circular  projection,  the  interior  of  which  has  a 
radius  of  12  feet.  It  is  the  vestibule  of  the  catacomb,  and  gives 
access  to  view  the  crypts  in  which  are  placed  the  bodies  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  wife  and  sons  and  his  grandson,  Abraham  Lincoln,  son 
of  Hon.  Robert  T.  Lincoln.  On  the  south  side  of  the  base  is 
another  semi-circular  projection  of  the  same  size,  but  this  is  con- 
tinued into  the  base  so  as  to  produce  a  room  of  elliptical  shape, 
which  is  called  Memorial  Hall.  Thus  the  base  measures,  including 
these  two  projections,  119^  feet  from  north  to  south  and  72^ 
feet  from  east  to  west.  In  the  angles  formed  by  the  addition  of 
these  two  projections  are  handsome  flights  of  stone  steps,  two  on 
each  end.  These  steps  are  projected  by  granite  balustrades,  which 
extend  completely  around  the  top  of  the  base,  which  forms  a  ter- 
race. From  the  plane  of  this  terrace  rises  the  obelisk,  or  die,  which 
is  28  feet  4  inches  high  from  the  ground,  and  tapered  to  11  feet 
square  at  the  top.  At  the  angles  of  this  die  are  four  pedestals  of  11 
feet  diameter,  rising  12^  feet  above  the  plane  of  the  terrace.  This 
obelisk,  including  the  area  occupied  by  the  pedestals,  is  41  feet 
square,  while  from  the  obelisk  rises  the  shaft,  tapering  to  8  feet 
square  at  the  summit.  Upon  the  four  pedestals  stand  the  four 
bronze  groups,  representing  the  four  arms  of  the  service — Infantry, 
Cavalry,  Artillery  and  Navy.  Passing  around  the  whole  obelisk  and 
pedestal  is  a  band  or  chain  of  shields,  each  representing  a  state,  the 
name  of  which  is  carved  upon  it.  At  the  south  side  of  the  obelisk 
is  a  square  pedestal,  7  feet  high,  supporting  the  statue  of  Lincoln, 
the  pedestal  being  ornamented  with  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United 
States.  This  coat  of  arms,  in  the  position  it  occupies  on  the  monu- 
ment, is  intended  to  typify  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Lincoln's  statue  on  the  pedestal  above  it  makes  the  whole  an 
illustration  of  his  position  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion.  He 
took  his  stand  on  the  Constitution  as  his  authority  for  using  the 
four  arms  of  the  war  power  of  the  Government — the  Infantry, 
Cavalry,  Artillery  and  Navy — to  hold  together  the  states  which  are 
represented  still  lower  on  the  monument  by  a  cordon  of  tablets 
linking  them  together  in  a  perpetual  bond  of  union. 

The  money  used  in  the  original  construction  of  this  handsome 
monument  came  from  the  people  by  voluntary  contributions.  The 
first  entry  made  by  the  treasurer  of  the  association  was  May  8, 
1865,  and  was  from  Isaac  Reed,  of  New  York,  $100.  Then  came 
contributions  from  Sunday  schools,  lodges,  Army  associations,  indi- 
viduals and  states.  The  Seventy-third  Regiment,  United  States 
colored  troops,  at  New  Orleans,  contributed  $1,437,  a  greater 
amount  than  was  given  by  any  other  individual  or  organization 
except  the  State  of  Illinois.  Many  pages  of  the  record  are  filled 
with  the  contributions  from  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  land,  and 
of  the  5,145  entries,  1,697  are  from  Sunday  schools.     The  largest 


ABRAHAM 

LINCOLN 

32 

and    his    last    resting    place 

part  of  the  money  was  contributed  in  1865,  but  it  continued  to 
come  to  the  treasurer  from  all  parts  of  the  country  until  1871. 
About  $8,000  was  contributed  by  the  colored  soldiers  of  the  United 
States  Army.  Only  three  states  made  appropriations  for  this  fund 
—Illinois,  $50,000;"  Missouri,  $1,000,  and  Nevada,  $500. 

The  monument  was  dedicated  October  15,  1874,  the  occasion 
being  signalized  by  a  tremendous  outpouring  of  the  people,  the 
oration  commemorative  of  the  life  and  public  services  of  the  great 
emancipator  being  delivered  by  Governor  Richard  J.  Oglesby. 
President  Grant  also  spoke  briefly  on  that  occasion,  and  a  poem 
was  read  by  James  Judson  Lord. 

The  monument  was  built  after  the  accepted  designs  of  Larkin 
G.  Mead,  of  Florence,  Italy,  and  stands  upon  an  eminence  in  Oak 
Ridge  Cemetery,  occupying  about  nine  acres  of  ground.  Ground 
was  broken  on  the  site  September  10,  1869,  in  the  presence  of  3,000 
persons.     The  capstone  was  placed  in  position  on  May  22,  1871. 

In  July,  1871,  citizens  of  Chicago,  through  Hon.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  contributed  $13, TOO  to  pay  for  the  Infantry  group  of 
statuary.  In  the  city  of  New  York,  under  the  leadership  of  Gov. 
E.  D.  Morgan,  137  gentlemen  subscribed  and  paid  $100  each, 
amounting  to  $13,700  for  the  Naval  group. 

Of  the  four  groups  of  statuary,  the  Naval  group  was  the  first 
completed.  This  group  represents  a  scene  on  the  deck  of  a  gunboat. 
The  mortar  is  poised  ready  for  action  ;  the  gunner  has  rolled  up 
a  shell  ready  for  firing;  the  boy,  or  powder  monkey,  climbs  to  the 
highest  point  and  is  peering  into  the  distance ;  the  officer  in  com- 
mand is  about  to  examine  the  situation  through  the  telescope. 

The  Infantry  group  was  the  next  to  reach  Springfield.  Both 
these  groups  were  placed  in  position  on  the  monument  in  Septem- 
ber, 1877.  The  Infantry  group  represents  an  officer,  a  private 
soldier  and  a  drummer,  with  arms  and  accoutrements,  marching 
in  expectation  of  battle.  The  officer  in  command  raises  the  flag 
with  one  hand,  pointing  to  the  enemy  with  the  other,  orders  a 
charge.  The  private  with  the  musket,  as  the  representative  of  the 
whole  line,  is  in  the  act  of  executing  the  charge.  The  drummer 
boy  has  become  excited,  lost  his  cap,  thrown  away  his  haversack 
and  drawn  a  revolver  to  take  part  in  the  conflict. 

The  Artillery  group  represents  a  piece  of  artillery  in  battle. 
The  enemy  has  succeeded  in  directing  a  shot  so  well  as  to  dismount 
the  gun.  The  officer  in  command  mounts  his  disabled  piece  and 
with  drawn  saber  fronts  the  enemy.  The  youthful  soldier,  with 
uplifted  hands,  is  horrified  at  the  havoc  around  him.  The  wounded 
and  prostrate  soldier  wears  a  look  of  intense  agony. 

The  Cavalry  group,  consisting  of  two  human  figures  and  a 
horse,  represents  a  battle  scene.  The  horse,  from  whose  back  the 
rider  has  just  been  thrown,  is  frantically  rearing.  The  wounded 
and  dying  trumpeter,  supported  by  a  comrade,  is  bravely  facing 
death.    Each  of  these  groups  cost  $13,700. 


ABRAHAM 

L    I    N 

c 

0 

L    N 

and    his    last    resting    place 

23 

The  statue  of  Mr.  Lincoln  stands  on  a  pedestal  projecting 
from  the  south  side  of  the  obelisk.  This  is  the  central  figure  in 
the  group,  or  series  of  groups.  As  we  gaze  upon  this  heroic  figure 
the  mvite  lips  seem  again  to  speak  in  the  memorable  words  that 
are  now  immortal.  We  hear  again  the  ringing  sentences  spoken 
in  1859  of  the  slave  power: 

Broken  by  it,  I  too,  may  be;  bow  to  it,  I  never  will.  *  *  *  If  ever  I 
feel  the  soul  within  me  elevate  and  expand  to  those  dimensions  not  wholly 
unworthy  of  its  Almighty  Architect,  it  is  when  I  contemplate  the  cause  of 
my  country  deserted  by  all  the  world  beside,  and  I,  standing  up  boldly  and 
alone,  hurling  defiance  at  her  victorious  oppressors.  Here,  without  contem- 
plating consequences,  before  high  Heaven  and  in  the  face  of  the  world,  I 
swear  eternal  fidelity  to  the  just  cause,  as  I  deem  it,  of  the  land  of  my  life, 
my  liberty  and  my  love. 

From  the  day  of  its  dedication,  October  15,  is;  1,  until  July  9, 
1895,  the  Lincoln  Monument  remained  in  the  control  of  the 
National  Lincoln  Monument  Association. 

In  18T4,  after  its  dedication,  John  Carroll  Power  was  made 
custodian,  and  continued  in  that  possession  until  his  death  in 
January,  1894.  x\  sketch  of  the  Lincoln  Monument  could  not,  in 
fairness,  be  written  without  paying  a  tribute  to  his  faithfulness, 
zeal  and  love.  He  revered  the  nation's  hero  and  gave  to  his  last 
resting  place  the  tenderest  and  most  assiduous  care.  Much  that 
is  of  interest  in  the  history  of  this  first  decade  of  the  existence  of 
the  monument  has  been  written  by  his  untiring  pen  that  would 
otherwise  have  been  lost. 

After  the  attempt  was  made  to  steal  the  body  of  President  Lin- 
coln, Mr.  Power  summoned  to  his  aid,  in  1880,  eight  gentlemen, 
residents  of  Springfield,  who  organized  as  the  "Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor."  They  were  J.  Carroll  Power,  deceased;  Jasper  N.  Reece, 
deceased ;  Gustavus  S.  Dana ;  James  F.  McNeill ;  Joseph  P.  Lind- 
ley ;  Edward  S.  Johnson;  Horace  Chapin ;  Noble  B.  Wiggins, 
deceased,  and  Clinton  L.  Conkling.  Their  object  was  to  guard 
the  precious  dust  of  Abraham  Lincoln  from  vandal  hands  and  to 
conduct,  upon  the  anniversaries  of  his  birth  and  death,  suitable 
memorial  exercises. 

During  these  years  an  admittance  fee  of  twenty-five  cents  was 
required  of  all  visitors  to  the  monument,  and  this  small  fee  consti- 
tuted a  fund  by  which  the  custodian  Avas  paid  and  the  necessary 
expenses  of  the  care  of  the  grounds  defrayed. 

In  the  winter  of  1894,  in  response  to  a  demand  voiced  almost 
universally  by  the  press  and  the  people  of  Illinois,  the  General 
Assembly  made  provision  for  the  transfer  of  the  National  Lincoln 
Monument  and  grounds  to  the  permanent  care  and  custody  of  the 
State.  The  new  law  puts  the  monument  into  the  charge  of  a  board 
of  control,  consisting  of  the  Governor  of  the  State,  the  State  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction  and  the  State  Treasurer. 

July  9,  1895,  Hon.  Richard  J.  Oglesby,  the  President,  the  only 
surviving  member  of  the  original  Lincoln  Monument  Association, 
turned  over  to  the  State,  as  represented  by    its    chief    executive, 


A  B 

R 

A 

H 

A 

M 

LINCOLN 

34 

and    his    last    resting    place 

Governor  Altgeld,  the  deeds  and  papers  relating  to  the  monument 
and  grounds.  The  governor  received  the  trust  on  behalf  of  the 
State,  pledging  its  faithfulness  to  the  duty  of  guarding  and  caring 
for  the  last  resting  place  of  the  illustrious  dead.  The  commission 
appointed  as  custodian  Edward  S.  Johnson,  major  of  the  veteran 
Seventh  Illinois  Infantry  and  a  member  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of 
Honor.  The  admittance  fee  is  a  thing  of  the  past  and  "To  the  Mecca 
of  the  people  let  all  the  people  come,  bringing  garlands  of  flowers, 
carrying  away  lessons  of  life.  There  is  no  shrine  more  worthy  of  a 
devotee,  no  academy  of  the  porch  or  grove  where  is  taught  so 
simply  and  so  grandly  the  principles  of  greatness.  Strew  flowers, 
but  bear  away  the  imprint  of  his  life,  the  flower  of  manliness  and 
the  wreath  of  honor."f 

In  the  two  score  years  since  the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
the  scars  of  war  have  healed,  the  peace  and  unity  for  which  he 
prayed  have  been  realized,  and  it  seems  fitting  to  bring  this  brief 
recital  of  his  life  and  the  story  of  the  strife  from  which  it  is  insepar- 
able up  to  date  with  this  glance  at  the  present : 

"I  have  seen  the  new  South !  But  I  saw  it  not  by  the  Potomac, 
nor  by  the  Cumberland.  I  saw  it  by  the  shore  of  that  peaceful  lake 
whose  waters  are  broad  enough  to  carry  the  fleet  of  the  world  and 
deep  enough  to  bury  in  its  bosom  all  the  hatred  and  all  the  sorrows 
of  the  past.  I  saw  the  new  South,  with  her  helmet  on,  bowing  to 
the  august  Present. 

"She  had  not  forgotten  the  Past,  but  was  bravely  giving  herself 
to  a  welcoming  Future.  There  is  a  great  city  in  the  North,  known 
all  over  as  the  type  of  restless,  eager,  business  activity.  Behold 
on  one  day  every  shop  and  store  and  factory  was  closed !  The  hum 
of  trade  was  hushed  !  The  pulse  of  traffic  had  ceased  to  beat !  And 
all  this  was  because  Chicago,  gathering  her  own  dead  to  her  heart, 
found  room  for  the  brothers  who  wore  the  gray.  Longstreet  and 
Lee,  and  Hampton  sat  at  her  hearths  while  the  bugle  and  the  drum 
proclaimed  the  everlasting  peace. 

"When  the  monument  which  marks  the  tomb  of  the  Confeder- 
ate dead  at  Oakwoods  was  dedicated,  North  and  South  marched 
together  in  streets  thronged  not  with  enemies  but  friends. 

"Remembering  their  own  heroic  dead,  the  North  reverently 
uncovered  while  the  South  gave  tears  and  flowers  to  hers. 

"The  new  South  stood  in  line  with  the  new  North,  and  above 
them  both  towered  a  form,  brave,  puissant,  serene  and  free.     It  was 

THE   NEW  NATION.""* 


tRev.   Roswell  O.   Post's  oration   at   the   tomb  of  Lincoln,   April,   1883. 
'Prom    George   R.    Peck's  oration   before   the   University   of  Virginia,   .Tune,    1895. 
The  compiler  wishes  to  acknouledy    indebtedness  to  ■> '.  O.  Holland's  Life  of  Lincoln. 


ABRAHAM 

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and    his    last    resting    place 

35 

THE  SOUVENIRS. 

Within  Memorial  Hall  at  the  south  end  of  the  Monument  the 
visitor  will  find  a  number  of  interesting'  articles  which  were  used  by 
Mr.  Lincoln  personally,  or  which  are  in  some  way  associated  with  his 
memory. 

Among  these  is  a  block  of  rough-hewn  brown  stone  bearing  an 
inscription  in  Latin,  which  was  sent  to  Lincoln  after  his  election  for 
the  second  time  as  President  of  the  United  States,  by  a  group  of 
patriotic  citizens  of  Rome.  An  interesting  story  is  connected  with  this 
stone.  In  the  early  days  of  Roman  history,  about  five  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  there  ascended  to  the 
throne  of  Rome  a  wise  and  good  king  called  Servius  Tullius.  His 
origin  is  more  or  less  mythological  but  it  is  supposed  that  one  or  both 
of  his  parents  were  slaves.  This  king  ruled  with  justice  and  benevo- 
lence and  his  earnest  efforts  were  directed  toward  the  amelioration  of 
the  condition  of  the  common  people.  He  deprived  the  creditor  of  the 
right  to  make  a  slave  of  his  impecunious  debtor  and  even  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  constitution  which  gave  these  poor  wretches  political 
independence. 

These  acts  of  the  king  aroused  the  jealousy  and  hatred  of  the 
nobility  and  they  determined  upon  his  destruction.  Tullius  had  two 
daughters,  both  married.  One  called  Tullia,  of  evil  memory,  killed  her 
own  husband  and  espoused  Lucius  Tarquinius,  the  husband  of  her 
gentler  sister  who  had  been  murdered  by  this  same  Tarquinius. 
Tarquinius  and  Tullia  at  the  head  of  the  mob  seized  the  throne  of 
Tullius,  and  that  unfortunate  monarch  while  walking  unsuspectingly 
through  the  streets  of  his  city,  was  struck  down  and  assassinated  by  a 
follower  of  his  wicked  son-in-law.  Llis  body  was  left  in  the  street 
where  it  fell  and  his  infamous  daughter  Tullia  drove  her  chariot  over 
it  in  triumph. 

One  of  the  earliest  acts  of  Servius  Tullius  had  been  to  add  to  his 
capital  three  of  the  neighboring  hills,  thus  making  Rome  the  City  of 
Seven  Hills.  Around  the  boundary  of  the  new  city  he  built  a  wall  of 
stone  which  encircled  Rome  for  seven  hundred  years  and  was  always 
known  as  the  wall  of  Servius  Tullius. 

During  the  centuries  of  oppression  and  tyranny  which  make  up 
the  history  of  Rome,  there  has  always  existed  a  small  minority  who 
have  loved  liberty  and  justice  and  these  few  kept  alive  from  generation 
to  generation  the  memory  of  Servius  Tullius.  Looking  on  from  afar 
at  the  four  years'  struggle  in  the  United  States,  in  which  freedom  for 
the  down-trodden  was  eventually  gained,  the  patriots  of  Rome  saw  in 
President  Lincoln,  whose  great  heart  and  steadfast  courage  had  liber- 
ated four  million  slaves,  an  embodiment  of  their  ideal  of  the  ancient 
king  whose  memory  they  so  lovingly  cherished.  Therefore,  after  his 
second  election  as  President,  they  took  from  the  Wall  of  Servius 
Tullius,  where  it  had  reposed  for  more  than  two  thousand  years,  a 


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fragment  of  stone.    On  it  they  engraved  in  Latin  an  inscription  which, 
translated,  reads : 


h     ; 


"TO  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  PRESIDENT  FOR  THE  SECOND 
TIME  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REPUBLIC,  CITIZENS  OF  ROME 
PRESENT  THIS  STONE,  FROM  THE  WALL  OF  SERVIUS  TUL- 
LIUS,  BY  WHICH  THE  MEMORY  OF  EACH  OF  THESE  ASSERT- 
ORS  OF  LIBERTY  MAY  BE  ASSOCIATED.     1865." 

This  stone  they  sent  to  President  Lincoln.  In  all  probability  it 
reached  him  before  his  death  and  with  his  characteristic  modesty  he 
forebore  to  mention  it.  It  was  eventually  discovered  in  the  basement 
of  the  White  House.  By  an  act  of  Congress,  1870,  introduced  by 
Senator  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  of  Illinois,  the  stone  was  transferred  to 
Springfield  to  be  placed  in  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  then  in 
process  of  erection. 

The  stone  is  of  conglomerate  sandstone  pronounced  by  a  geol- 
ogist of  Illinois  to  be  in  all  probability  artificial.  It  is  27J/2  inches  long, 
1!)  inches  wide,  and  S}i  inches  thick.  The  upper  edge  and  ends  are 
rough  as  though  broken  by  a  hammer ;  the  lower  edge  and  the  side 
which  bears  the  inscription  are  dressed  true.  The  stone  has  no 
intrinsic  beauty,  but  because  of  its  associations,  it  will  always  be  an 
object  of  interest  to  all  lovers  of  liberty. 

Many  things  used  by  Lincoln  in  his  lifetime  are  preserved  in 
Memorial  Hall.  Here  are  his  surveying  instruments,  the  compass, 
chain  and  Jacob  staff  and  the  worn  old  black  leather  saddlebags  in 


ABRAHAM 

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and    his    last    resting    place 

a? 

which  he  carried  implements  and  papers  when  as  a  young  man,  he 
went  surveying  in  Sangamon  County.  There  is  a  soap  dish  which  was 
in  his  bedroom  and  curtain  fixtures,  tassel  and  cord  from  his  Spring- 
field home.  There  are  two  small  black  cane-seated  chairs  which  are  of 
his  first  set  of  parlor  furniture;  a  big  ink-stained  deal  table  and  a  plain 
wooden  rocker  both  of  which  were  in  his  law  office  in  Springfield  at 
the  time  he  was  elected  President. 

In  a  glass  frame  is  a  faded  piece  of  white  silk  with  a  pattern  of 
red  flowers.  Deeper  than  the  red  of  the  flowers  are  dark  stains  of 
blood.  This  bit  of  silk  is  from  the  gown  of  the  actress,  Miss  Laura 
Keene,  who  acted  the  leading  role  in  "Our  American  Cousin"  at  Ford's 
Theater  in  Washington,  on  the  night  of  Lincoln's  assassination.  When 
the  murderer's  shot  rang  out  and  the  audience  sat  stunned  and  horror 
stricken,  Miss  Keene  stepped  from  the  stage  into  the  President's  box 
and  took  his  wounded  head  upon  her  knees.  She  herself,  one  year 
later,  brought  the  piece  of  blood-stained  silk  to  Springfield  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  National  Lincoln  Monument. 

Among  the  number  of  Lincoln's  personal  letters  which  may  be 
seen  at  the  Monument,  is  a  copy  of  one  of  his  own  hand,  written  to 
a  little  girl  in  Westchester  County,  New  York,  which  shows  his  never 
failing  courtesy  and  kindness.  This  little  girl  of  thirteen,  Miss  Grace 
Bedell,  wrote  to  Mr.  Lincoln  during  his  first  campaign  for  President, 
telling  him  she  thought  he  would  look  better  if  he  would  wear  whiskers. 
In  the  midst  of  all  the  turmoil  and  excitement  of  the  political  battle  he 
had  time  to  stop  and  write  a  personal  reply  to  a  child.  In  all  serious- 
ness he  told  her  that  as  he  had  never  worn  whiskers,  he  feared  it  might 
be  considered  a  piece  of  "silly  affectation"  if  he  were  to  begin  to  culti- 
vate them.  Not  long  afterwards,  however,  he  did  raise  the  beard  which 
he  wore  until  his  death.  He  never  forgot  his  little  friend  and  on  a  later 
occasion  when  he  made  a  hurried  trip  through  the  town  delivering 
campaign  speeches,  he  called  for  the  child  and  taking  her  hand,  he 
talked  with  her  and  told  her  that  she  might  observe,  he  had  decided  to 
follow  her  advice. 

There  are  many  photographs  of  scenes  made  forever  dear  to  the 
American  people  because  of  their  association  with  the  life  of  Lincoln: 
his  birthplace  in  Kentucky ;  the  cabin  in  which  his  parents  were  mar- 
ried ;  the  little  home  in  Indiana  where  his  mother  died  ;  the  wooden 
shack  in  which  he  kept  post  office  and  store  in  New  Salem,  Sangamon 
County,  Illinois ;  the  old  Rutledge  mill  where  he  probably  met  his  first 
love,  Ann  Rutledge :  his  law  office  in  Springfield  ;  the  fine  old  home  in 
which  he  married  Mrs.  Lincoln  ;  the  tavern  where  they  spent  their 
honeymoon  and  many  others. 

An  almost  life-size  portrait  of  Lincoln  was  presented  to  the  Monu- 
ment by  Thomas  J.  Lincoln,  a  cousin  of  the  President.  This 
picture  was  painted  by  Dr.  E.  E.  Fuller,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  was 
awarded  as  a  prize  to  the  Fountain  Green  Wide  Awakes,  a  political 
organization  which  took  active  part  in  the  campaign  of  1860.     The 


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Wide  Awakes  carried  the  picture  in  their  parades  and  kept  it  until 
after  Mr.  Lincoln's  second  inauguration  as  President.  They  then  pre- 
sented it  to  Thomas  J.  Lincoln,  of  Fountain  Green,  who  fulfilled  a  long 
cherished  desire  when,  on  his  eighty-third  birthday  he  carried  it  himself 
to  Lincoln's  tomb  in  1906. 

A  bit  of  a  rebel  flag  in  a  frame  with  a  picture  of  young  Col.  E.  E. 
Ellsworth  has  an  interesting  history.  Col.  Ellsworth  had  been  captain 
and  drillmaster  of  the  Chicago  Zouaves,  pronounced  the  best  drilled 
military  organization  west  of  West  Point  before  the  war.  In  Spring- 
field  he  read  law  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  a  warm  attachment 
sprang  up  between  the  two.  He  accompanied  the  President  to  Wash- 
ington and  was  given  a  commission  as  lieutenant  in  the  Regular  Army. 
When  the  war  began,  he  left  at  once  for  New  York  and  raised  with 
remarkable  celerity  a  regiment  of  eleven  hundred  men  of  which  he 
was  made  commander  with  rank  of  Colonel.  He  brought  his  regiment 
back  to  Washington  and,  under  orders  occupied  the  nearby  town  of 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  As  he  marched  into  the  city.  Col.  Ellsworth 
noticed  a  rebel  flag  floating  from  the  summit  of  the  Marshall  House 
and,  accompanied  by  four  soldiers  and  a  few  civilians,  he  ran  into  the 
hotel,  ascended  the  stairs  and  tore  down  the  flag  with  his  own  hands. 
As  he  reached  the  foot  of  the  staircase  he  was  shot  dead  by  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  hotel.  His  death  was  immediately  avenged  by  one  of  his 
companions.  Col.  Ellsworth  was  buried  from  the  East  Room  of  the 
White  House  by  special  order  of  the  President  who  mourned  him  as  a 
son.  Of  all  the  heroes  who  perished  in  the  bitter  four  years'  struggle, 
not  one  was  more  lamented  than  this  gallant  young  officer  who  had 
never  seen  a  battle. 

In  Memorial  Hall  may  be  seen  an  immense  volume  containing  1)30 
quarto  pages.  It  is  made  up  of  copies  of  the  notes  and  resolutions  of 
sympathv  which  flooded  into  the  White  House  after  the  assassination 
of  Lincoln.  By  a  joint  resolution  of  both  Houses  of  Congress,  this 
volume  was  published  in  1867,  in  order  to  preserve  these  expressions 
of  sympathy  which  were  sent  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  written  in 
not  less  than  twenty-five  languages.  Legislative  bodies,  corporations, 
voluntary  societies,  public  assemblies  called  together  for  the  occasion 
and  private  individuals,  one  and  all  expressed  their  horror  at  the  crime 
and  their  warm  sympathy  with  the  bereaved  family  of  the  President 
and  the  American  people.  A  number  of  the  original  documents  sent 
to  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  the  United  States  Government,  after  Lincoln's 
death,  were  forwarded  by  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  son  of  the  President,  to 
John  T.  Stuart,  of  Springfield,  in  1871,  and  these  now  hang  framed 
on  the  walls  of  Memorial  Hall.  Most  of  them  are  on  heavy  vellum  or 
parchment  and  are  beautifully  embossed. 


SCHHEFP  &  BABNES,  PRINTERS,  SPRINGFIELD,  ILL. 

1915 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

973  7L63D2J62A1915  C003 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  AND  HIS  LAST  RESTING  PLA 


12  03 


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